Joe Jinks was the main character of the syndicated comic strip, Joe's Car, which started as a daily strip in 1918, in The New York World, which syndicated it to other papers around the country. The protagonist is Joe Jinks, a short, middle-aged man who was often seen chomping and smoking a cigar. His wife, Blanche, wasn't unreasonable about his obsession, but readers had a distinct impression her life would have been smoother without it. The comic strip was discontinued in 1953, with little to none media representation.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
The Joe Jinks balloon first flew its way down the parade route as part of the 1930 parade's lineup, being one of the first pop culture characters to become a giant balloon in the parade's history. Being designed by Tony Sarg, the design was of Jinks hanging from a larger sphere balloon, featured a painted image of himself. The balloon only appeared in the 1930 procession, as it was disposed of shortly after.